


Ties That Bind

by blackcoffeeandteardrops



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Maybe - Freeform, Post-Revival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-02
Updated: 2017-04-16
Packaged: 2018-09-21 12:33:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9549140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackcoffeeandteardrops/pseuds/blackcoffeeandteardrops
Summary: Set post My Struggle II. In which William reenters their lives, Scully gets some happiness she deserves (maybe), and everyone figures out where to go from there.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> You know how a story sneaks up on you, digs it's claws in, and won't let go until you do something about it? That happened. This will be a few chapters, figuring out things that happened after Mulder and Scully got off of that bridge. Oh yeah, and their kid comes along, too. Basically, I wanted more Revival era fic, so I decided I had to write it. Thanks for reading!

The first time William met his mother, he had dirt under his fingernails. _Birth mother_ , he corrected himself, rolling the words over again and again in his mind, and he knew that it wasn't true. They had of course met before, and lived together for the better part of a year. She’d given him up for adoption, and if his mother--adoptive mother, as if the distinction mattered--were around, William was certain she’d tell him to go wash up. _You must be prepared for guests, William. Remain presentable. I don't want people thinking I raised a hooligan._

William blinked back hot tears, tilting his head back and staring at the clock, trying not to think of the fact the body of the woman who raised him rested in a cooler in the hospital morgue several floors below. He darted his eyes towards the door, just as he had every few seconds when someone passed by out in the hall. How the agent who found him managed to find a private waiting room amidst all of the ill and injured he wasn't sure, but the longer he waited, the harder he found it to sit still.

The agent who picked him up from the house had been nice enough; an older man who explained they were taking him to get help and that someone would be by to take care of his parents. He’d resisted at first, but when the agent said a woman was on a red-eye for Wyoming and she needed his help, William knew he had to comply.

Anyone else might have found the situation suspicious, a federal agent showing up out of nowhere and insisting his help was needed. He was a teenager after all, so what assistance could he possibly provide? He supposed he should have grown uncomfortable when the agent was reluctant to provide many details, & perhaps should've insisted the car be stopped when he was told they were headed to the hospital. The agent had pointed at the cut on William's cheek, garnered from fallen debris, saying he just wanted to make sure it wasn't inflected.

There were, of course, far greater worries at hand, for a small hospital in upstate Wyoming. William had seen the reports about mass casualties to a virus no doctor could comprehend before the power went out. He’d expected the agent to ask why he hadn't gotten sick, but when William pushed the issue, he was simply told that stranger things had happened. He couldn't explain it, the wave of warmth he’d felt that signaled the man meant well & was being honest, but William knew better than to question the gut instinct he’d felt that had not once been wrong in his life.

It was why when he heard the door open and saw the petite redhead standing next to the agent, William knew exactly who she was without having to be told.

“William?” she asked, her voice wavering as she reached for the cross around her neck, rubbing its smooth surface like a talisman.

He blinked, staring into watery blue eyes that so closely resembled his own. He remembered being younger, perhaps around ten, when kids in his class started pointing out how he didn't really look like his parents. He’d run out of class, darting into the boy’s restroom, and pressing his nose to the cold glass of the mirror. He wanted to know where his eyes, his muddy brown hair, and where the freckles that dusted the bridge of his nose came from. William stood slowly, unsure of how to process some of the answers standing before him. He raised his hand in a wave, hoping she didn't notice the dirt that caked his skin. “Hey.”

William watched as her bottom lip trembled, if only for a moment, before she squared her shoulders & regained composure. “Could we have the room please?” she asked, not breaking her eyes from his.

William watched as the agent nodded, reluctant to leave until he was sure everything was okay. “He said you needed my help.”

“I do. Rather, someone very important to me does. But William, I want to be clear...none of this has to happen unless you are okay with it. I don't want you to do something you don't feel comfortable with. My name is Dana--”

“I know who you are,” William replied, and was surprised by the warmth pooling inside. She was relieved, although he couldn't pinpoint just why.

“You do?” Scully asked, unable to mask the surprise in her voice. She’d yet to move from her place near the door, but at that managed to walk a few feet closer, reaching out to grasp the back of a chair for support.

William jerked his head in the direction of the door. “He didn't say much. Just that you were my birth mother. That you needed my help.”

Scully nodded, staring at the wood grains in the table for a moment rather than at him. “I’m sure you have questions, and I intend to answer them. But right now, I’m afraid we don't have much time.”

“Much time for what?” William asked, his curiosity piqued.

“There's a man. Back in Washington, D.C. He’s...as I’m sure you're aware, a vast amount of people are sick. Many are falling gravely ill. This man is one of them, William, and if you agree, we can save him. And others too, perhaps. I’ve brought several doses of a vaccine here, and details for a shipment arriving first thing in the morning. I’m just sorry it couldn't be here soon enough to save them.” Scully said, ducking her head to avoid his gaze. “I was told after I got off the plane that your parents had died. I’m sorry, William. I truly am.”

William shifted his weight from one foot to the other, weighing his options. He could elect to stay in Wyoming, but what he’d do in that circumstance remained to be seen. They couldn’t keep him from the foster system forever, and at the very least traveling to D.C. would prolong the seemingly inevitable. It would also provide him the opportunity to get to know the woman who gave birth to him, if only briefly. While the thought excited him, he thought again of the couple who’d raised him up, and how they’d fought the virus hard, but in the end weren’t strong enough. If he could save someone else, perhaps it would mean he’d done something useful, but he still had questions. “Why can’t this vaccine save him? Why fly all the way out here to get me?” he asked, almost afraid of the answer.

Scully took a deep breath, readying herself for what came next. If she had any hope of getting William on her side, he had to know the truth. Or, at the very least, the portion of it pertinent to their cause. “The vaccine was created in large part due to my DNA,” she said, not missing the way his eyebrows shot up in surprise. “As you may have noticed, I’m not sick, and neither are you. You’ve inherited your immunity to the virus from me. The man I’m coming to you about is named Fox Mulder. He’s my partner, but he’s also your biological father. Before I left Washington, his health was declining. It became clear the vaccine wouldn’t be enough.”

“So then how am I supposed to save him? I’m just a kid, I don’t know how to go about making vaccines. I have an A in biology, but I’d think our nation’s capital has better scientists than some high schooler,” William replied, shrugging it off. He was curious, and the warmth he felt whenever someone was being truthful spread across his shoulders and chest, but he couldn’t help the skepticism that lingered.

“By being his biological child, you share his DNA. I can sequence a cure for him based upon a sample I obtain from you. I can go more in depth into how it works if you’d like, but I’m afraid we don’t have much time,” she said, watching as William processed the information. “It’s an incredibly huge thing to ask of you, especially now, and I’d understand if you don’t want to.”

The reality of losing one set of parents and gaining a different one in such a short amount of time was something William wasn’t sure how to cope with. “It’s really up to me?” he asked, hating the vulnerability he felt. He was taller than most kids in his school, and while he was lanky, the extra height gave him an advantage. But standing across the table from her, he felt small, although he wasn’t yet sure if that was a bad thing. He shook his head as he pulled out a chair to sit down. “I can’t just let him die. But it’s not fair, you know? Why now? You never tried seeking me out sooner? The agency told us it was a closed adoption, which meant I couldn’t know why. But now you’re here. And I want to know.”

“And you deserve to know,” she replied. She let go of her grip on the chair she’d been holding and inched closer to him. “The answers to your questions are, at best, complicated, but--”

“Complicated? Look, I get that I’m just a kid, or whatever, but don’t I deserve better than that?” William asked, laughing bitterly, surprising even himself at the momentary anger that flashed through him. While she was asking him to do something very big and important, she’d also thus far been nothing but kind about it. “Sorry,” he said, uncertain of just how much he meant it. Tired, he buried his face in his hands, wanting just for a moment to make everything disappear. He bolted upright at the feeling of her hand pressing against his shoulder.

“I realize how difficult this whole situation must be for you, so I know how ridiculous a question this will be, but are you okay?” Scully asked, brushing her thumb absently against his sleeve, as if needing to verify for herself that he was real.

William felt the telltale burn of tears pricking his eyes, and he moved to wipe them away with the back of his hand. “You’re the first person today to ask me that question. Honestly, I don’t know.”

“That’s okay,” Scully replied, glancing up at the clock on the wall. “You don’t have to be okay right now. The past has taught me that some things take a great deal of time to recover from. Days, weeks, maybe even years. No one should expect you to be fine right now.”

“Time,” he said, wondering if that were true. Her hand felt strong and steady against him. It was the longest moment of contact he’d had with another person in days, and the fact it was with the woman who’d given him up for adoption left his head spinning. “If I go with you, will you answer my questions?” he asked, raising an eyebrow, as if he were daring her to respond. “Will you tell me the truth?”

“Yes,” Scully replied. “I’ll answer whatever questions you may have. I’ll try.”

William stood, gesturing for the door. “Then we need to leave.”

Scully glanced at the clock, calculating the time difference in her head. “I need to make a call as soon as we head out, to verify they have everything ready whenever we get there. Are you sure you want to do this?”

He knew his options. He could tell her goodbye, watch her walk away and resign himself to living the remainder of his teenage years in the system, or he could join her and at the very least help save someone while getting some answers before anything else happened. “The answer is yes,” he said, locking eyes with her. He’d wondered for years what they looked like, and was still taken back now that he knew for sure. “Let’s go.”


	2. Chapter 2

If the ride to Wyoming had been stressful for Scully, the one back to DC was worse. Before, she had Mulder’s fate on her mind, but rehearsing just what to say to William provided a distraction. Having the son she gave up for adoption years before sitting beside her as she watched the seconds on her watch tick by was no easy task on the way home however, and she wished time would move faster.

He had been excited during take off, saying it was his favorite part of flying. She cautiously poked for more, asking where he’d been, and he shrugged it off, saying they’d gone on trips to California as a family a few times. His eyes lit up a little, but he grew quiet after that, choosing to stare out at the clouds rather than attempt any conversation with her. Nearly an hour into the flight, he’d propped his head against the window and drifted off to sleep.

In some ways, Scully was grateful. She could hold off explaining things of the past, though she knew such conversations would happen eventually. Still, as she studied his profile, noting the freckles dusting his cheek and the curve of his nose, she thought of the last time she held him, thinking at the time it would be the last. Her arms ached at the memory of cradling him to her chest, inhaling his scent, peppering kisses across his face and praying he and Mulder and God would forgive her for what she was going to do. The image of his smiling face, blissfully unaware as she changed his diaper and put on a clean onesie that he’d never see her again, had clung close to her like a ghost for years, and lingered still even as she watched the steady rise and fall of his chest as he slept.

He was okay. Despite the power outages and the sickness and the plots to overthrow whatever decent people were left in the world, the miracle she never expected to have was truly fine. During the flight to Wyoming, the fear of reaching him only to be told he wasn’t fine left her stricken, desperate for air until she’d locked herself in the plane’s lavatory, splashing cold water on her face and practicing deep breaths until she convinced herself he’d be okay. She reached over the armrest, moving her fingertips over the smooth skin of his wrist and counted the seconds on her watch, calculating his pulse. It was higher than she’d like, but considering the stress they were all under, she considered it a blessing to be able to feel it at all. She was about to pull her hand away before he twitched, his body twisting in the seat. “No,” he murmured, face twisting into a look of discomfort. “Please, just…”

“William,” Scully whispered, leaning closer as his cries grew louder. She caught the sympathetic eye of a woman across the aisle, who gestured to the sleeping toddler beside her, and she wanted to laugh, as if the circumstances possibly could’ve been the same. William kicked his legs out, and she hoped the seat in front of them was empty. “Will, honey, you need to wake up,” she said, brushing the hair from his eyes. The memory of tracing his worried brow as he fought sleep as an infant crossed her mind, and she choked back tears at the image arriving unbidden. “William, it’s just a dream.”

“Mom?” he cried, his voice thick with sleep and worry as he sat up straight in his seat, dabbing at his eyes with his sleeve. He blinked a couple of times, coughing as he glanced at her, plainly embarrassed at feeling so vulnerable. “How much longer until we land?”

Scully eyed her watch and sighed. The sooner they landed, the sooner they could get to the hospital to save Mulder, and the sooner after that they could get to figuring out whatever happened next. “A half hour perhaps. Don’t worry,” she said, hoping her smile was encouraging. “You weren’t out for long.”

He sighed, carding a hand through his hair. He leaned back in his seat, worrying his bottom lip with his thumb. “Long enough,” he muttered.

She cleared her throat, approaching the subject carefully. “William?” she asked, waiting until he looked back at her to continue. “If you want to talk about your dream, or about whatever happened, I want you to know that’s okay. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, but I’d like for you to know I’m here if you do.”

“Thanks, I guess,” William replied, considering it briefly as he drummed his fingers against the armrest. Before he could say anything however, his stomach growled in protest.

“Are you hungry?” Scully asked, concerned. The thought occurred that she couldn’t remember the last time she herself had eaten, considering everything that happened, and given everything William had been through, she knew he likely felt the same. She hurriedly reached under the seat for her purse, searching through it frantically. “I think I have a granola bar in here, if you want. Or I can see if I could get you something from the stewardess, although I doubt they have much better. There’s some fast food places inside the airport that should be open when we get there, but--”

“It’s fine,” William said, pushing the offered granola bar away. “It’s your food, Dana, you should eat it.”

Scully tried masking the surprise at hearing her first name from her son’s lips, but wasn’t sure she was successful. On the way to the airport, they’d talked some about trivial things, but discussing what he was supposed to call her hadn’t really come up. His stomach growled again, and she’d have ordered the pilot to make an emergency landing just for her to get him a proper meal if she could’ve. She again waved the granola bar in his direction, smiling as she did so. “How about we compromise? We could split it?”

A half a granola bar and a Coke garnered from the stewardess was by far not the worst airplane food she’d had to endure. She watched as William took small bites, sipping at his soda in between. He must have felt her staring as he turned to her, frowning. “What?”

She shook her head, knowing she’d been caught, although he could hardly guess at the multitude of emotions coursing through her. Happiness at seeing him again, sadness at all the time lost, and an anxiety surrounding the impossible situation they found themselves in. She thought of Mulder, who at that point would likely still be unconscious, or lingering somewhere near the edge of consciousness. If he was awake, he’d start asking questions, and she wanted to be there when he did. She just didn’t know how he’d react to the third occupant of the room, who as the thought occurred, was bolting out of his seat. “Where are you going?” she asked, hand reaching out for his. Since reuniting with him at the hospital, he hadn’t been out of her sight, and she feared what would happen when she wasn’t looking.

He furrowed his brow, studying her for a moment before pulling his hand from hers, waggling his fingers in the air. “It had peanut butter. I just need to wash my hands.”

“Oh. Right,” she said, watching as he trudged down the aisle. She glanced down at the sticky crumbs on her fingertips, left either by her own brief meal or from his, and found she didn’t care how they’d gotten there. He was there and he was real, and as she watched the lavatory door close, she couldn’t help but hope that would not soon change.

* * *

After assisting with both William and Mulder’s surgeries, Scully found herself wanting to escape for just a few moments of peace. She’d wandered down to the cafeteria, gulping down one cup of coffee and quickly ordering another. She rubbed the sore muscles in her neck, rolling her shoulders back and forth a couple of times, knowing she should use the time surgeons were wrapping up to catch some rest herself. Afterall, they’d both be out of it for a while, but she dismissed the idea just as soon as it entered her head. If anything were to happen and either of them needed her, she wanted to be there at a moment’s notice.

Cradling the styrofoam cup in her hands, Scully wandered down the hall, pausing briefly to watch coverage on the TV in the waiting room. A ticker at the bottom of the screen provided details on local shelters and where people could go for things like fresh water and dried goods while a gentleman from the police department spoke about their efforts to get everything back to normal as soon as possible. There was mention of the vaccine, followed by footage of people in protective suits walking into an apartment building, verifying everything was safe.

They were treating it like any other disaster, she thought, and realized that as in all the other times, the public didn’t yet know how close everything came to the end of the world.

Scully shook her head to clear her thoughts, intent on heading to the elevators and back up to check on the status of recovery, but a sign for the hospital chapel caught her eye. She followed the directions and stepped inside the room with a sigh of relief. Flames flickered from candles near the altar, a sign people had been in recently--and no wonder--but as she scanned the cushioned pews, she found them empty. She found a spot near the front, marveling at a stained glass window depicting Jesus between the two thieves, and closed her eyes. Silence was something she hadn’t had much of in days, so she was glad to find a place she could enjoy it, however briefly.

Finding William again had been nothing short of a blessing, one she knew better than to question. She’d put the request in to Skinner, who’d asked her if she was certain, before contacting the appropriate people. In a short span of time, Scully had gone from thinking she’d never have answers to looking her son in the face, asking him to do the impossible. She knew he was sad about his adopted parents, as he had every right to be, but hoped he’d feel comfortable enough to open up to her when the time was right. The plane ride had given them a chance to talk, but some of the things that needed to be discussed where best left for someplace more private. The door behind her squeaked on its hinges, and she sighed, knowing her private solace couldn’t have lasted long either way.

“Agent Scully? I wondered if I’d find you here.”

Scully stood, brushing lint from her pant leg. She turned to stare at the person who’d found her, and was relieved to see a familiar face. “Agent Miller, yes. I’d gone to get coffee, and I guess I lost track of time. Is everything okay?”

Miller shrugged, poising a hand on his hip. “I just came from upstairs. They’re both in recovery now, but should be moving to a private room soon.”

“That’s excellent news,” Scully replied, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. While they were not out of the woods, they were significantly close to getting there. “How are you feeling yourself?”

“The vaccine helped. I’m feeling groggy, to be honest, but considering how others are faring, I can’t complain,” Miller replied.

“I understand,” she said. “And Agent Einstein? I’ve not had the chance to thank her for her efforts in helping me combat the virus. I know she wasn’t faring well, but I’d hoped--”

“She’s been better, but they’re keeping her overnight as a precaution. Truthfully, I’m surprised they have enough beds in this place,” he mused.

In his eyes, she saw a reflection of her younger self, having been witness to tragedies, but not enough to have been numbed to their effect. She rested a hand on his arm, knowing full well she was the last one qualified to give relationship advice, but needing to feel useful. “You should go to her.”

Miller frowned in confusion. “I don’t see what my being there would do.”

Scully smiled sadly, thinking of the times she’d sat vigil at Mulder’s bedside, or vice versa, and knowing the circumstances didn’t matter so much as the company. “Maybe not yet,” she said, opening the door. “But you will.”

* * *

How they’d managed to place William and Mulder in the same room, Scully wasn’t certain, but she was happy when she made her way upstairs to find them in beds mere feet from each other. It wasn’t until that moment however that she realized she’d yet to figure out how to break the situation to Mulder.

William’s eyes fluttered under closed lids, and guilt momentarily flooded her senses. If given the chance, she couldn’t say for certain he’d call it something so great, even though it was he who’d made the decision. She’d explained the procedure on the plane, giving him what information he needed to know, but she doubted he’d ever understand how grateful she was for everything he’d done. Tentatively, she reached for his hand, marveling at how big it was in hers. She remembered the way his entire hand was once small enough to just wrap around her thumb, and she bit back a sob. “William,” she said, hovering over the bed to press a kiss to his forehead. She glanced around for a second, fearing she’d been caught. “You’re going to be okay,” she said, this time letting the tears cloud her vision. “You have to be.”

Behind her, the sound of sheets ruffling broke Scully’s focus. She heard the telltale groan that signaled Mulder was awake, and hurried to his side. “Hi,” she said, hand cupping his cheek. “How are you feeling?”

“You know how people always tell you they feel like they’ve gotten hit by a truck, and you think they’re being hyperbolic? Scully, they’re not. Parts of me hurt that I don’t remember having,” Mulder said. He blinked a few times, bringing her into focus. “I don’t think I’m fully awake though. I’m dreaming, right?”

“What do you mean? Do you need me to page the doctor?” Scully asked, alarmed.

“It’s just that as I was waking up, I thought I heard you talking,” Mulder said, lifting his hand to point in her direction, but pausing as his gaze caught on the figure in the bed next to his. “Scully, I don’t know if this is the medication talking, but he looks like…”

“Oh, Mulder,” she cried, realizing her chance to try and figure out what to tell him was gone. “There’s so much you need to know. So much you _both_ need to know. I’m not even sure I know where to begin.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To say I'm sorry this update took so long would be an understatement. I had not intended on this taking so long. Working overtime the past few weeks coupled with hitting a block somewhere in my planning stages for future parts of this left me stalled. But I was determined to get this posted this weekend, so I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading!

Mulder stared at William, sleeping soundly in the bed next to his, not quite able to believe his eyes. His mouth grew dry and he blinked a couple of times, and he tried sitting up only to feel dizziness wash over him moments later. “How?” he asked, fighting through the fog in his mind as best he could. He turned to Scully, furrowing his brow in confusion. “Scully, what’s happening?”

“There’s a lot you need to know,” she said, grabbing his hand. She smiled at him, eyes watery, and shrugged. “I’m not even sure I know where to begin.”

Mulder again gestured to William before looking back at her, thinking the answer of where to begin was obvious. But as he looked back at her, noting the bags under her eyes and the hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail, not to mention the fact that even standing next to him she couldn’t seem to remain still, he could only begin to imagine what she’d been going through. “Is that...I mean, that’s him, right? That’s William?”

“Yes,” Scully replied, squeezing his hand. “Mulder, what’s the last thing you remember?”

He closed his eyes, settling his head against the pillow to keep the room from spinning. “I was on the bridge. Somehow, you’d managed to get to me. I remember Agent Miller was there, and I remember wanting to kiss you, but then...Scully, there was a ship. You stared right at it, so don’t try telling me you didn’t see it this time.”

Scully’s lips twitched, an almost smile, and she sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Official sources state it was a craft of the American military, and it was there to observe and rescue. But yes, I know what I saw. It didn’t matter though, Mulder, not when every second I stood there was a second I wasted not trying to cure you.”

“So the vaccine worked?” Mulder asked, noting her sudden change of demeanor almost instantly. “That’s incredible. You should be out there winning awards, working on a paper for some academic journal. You saved the world, Scully. A lot more than I ever did. What I can’t figure out is why you don’t seem happy about it.”

Scully took a deep breath, readying herself to tell the story. “Because there’s more to it than that,” she said, perching herself on the edge of his bed. She looked over at the other occupant of the room, still asleep, and focused on him as she held Mulder’s hand, letting the words spill from his lips as she told him everything. “I should be happy, right? This is what I wanted. We have our son back, and I am happy. I am. But--”

“But what if it’s not enough? What if, despite every precaution I know you took, there’s still the risk of danger not just to us, but to him?” Mulder asked, watching as she ducked her head, focusing on her hands in her lap rather than at him. He hooked a finger under her chin, urging her to look up. “Scully, look at me,” he said, waiting until she did to continue. “We’ll figure it out. We always do, right?”

Scully’s mouth quirked into the softest smile, and she nodded, while she wasn’t quite sure she believed it just yet. “It’s funny,” she said, smoothing out a wrinkle in the blanket, turning to stare at William’s sleeping form as she spoke. “I know it’s real. I know everything in the past few days has happened, but sitting on the same flight, talking to him? It’s incredible.”

Mulder nodded, wincing as he tried changing positions. The operation might have been a success, but it left him feeling weak.

“I’m going to fetch the doctor. Would you like me to get you some water while I’m out?” she asked, raising a hand to his forehead, checking for any signs of fever.

“I’ll be okay, but something cold to drink might be nice,” he said, quickly catching her wrist, pressing a kiss to her palm before she could move away. “Scully?” he said, his voice barely above a whisper, and he fought back the lump in his throat before he could continue. His gaze drifted to the boy dozing across the room and he blinked, still not quite believing it. He’d let himself dream of William over the years, things they’d do together and places they’d go. They weren’t always happy dreams, but he loved them just the same. “That’s our son. He’s here.”

 

* * *

Coverage streamed on TV as Mulder fought the urge to sleep. Since waking up from the procedure, his mind was reeling at the reality that William was back in his life once more. Try as he might, it was hard to match the young man in the bed next to his own with the tiny infant he knew for a matter of days. He closed his eyes, conjuring the image of an infant William cradled to his chest. William’s tiny fist clutched one of his fingers, and his eyes quivered under lids that were impossibly thin. He’d kissed his forehead, his cheeks, his nose, and breathed in deep before setting him down one last time. Walking away in hopes of keeping him and Scully safe had been one of the hardest things he’d ever done, but the image of his son resting peacefully was an image he’d carried with him for the last fifteen years.

A cough followed by a groan from the bed opposite his drew Mulder out of his trance. He pushed the pain away and cast a glance at the door, wondering if it was just coincidence that this would happen as Scully stepped out. She had gone to grab his doctor earlier to verify that he himself was healing properly, and had stayed for a short while after that. But noting the way she was barely keeping it together, Mulder had all but ordered her to go and get some rest. As she kissed him goodbye, he had the strongest suspicions that she wouldn’t be going far, perhaps to the cafeteria for coffee or an empty conference room to simply enjoy a few moments of quiet. He knew better than to think she’d sleep, although he desperately wished she would. They all needed it for what they would be facing next.

“Hi,” the voice sounded from beside him. William coughed again, clearing his throat, before continuing. “You’re him, aren’t you? Mulder?”  
Mulder laughed, despite the anxiety he felt bubbling inside. He locked eyes with the blue eyed boy and sighed in relief. He was okay. “That’s what friends call me, yes. Did Scully tell you that?”

At the mention of Scully, William glanced about the room, frowning in confusion upon not seeing her.

“She stepped out for a bit. I should probably call her, let her know you’re--”

“You don’t have to do that,” William replied. “I mean, you can. She’s great. Or, she seems great. But just...I’m fine.”

Mulder opened his mouth, prepared to say something about how it sounded like something Scully would say, but thought better of it. He knew they’d had the chance to speak some in Wyoming and on the plane, but wasn’t sure how in depth the conversation had gone. He hated not knowing what to say to his son, but opted to let him take control of the conversation. “I can’t imagine anyone being fine after everything you’ve gone through, William. It’d be crazy to expect you to be fine after all of that.”

William eyed him suspiciously, fiddling with the hospital bracelet on his wrist as he did so. He jutted his chin out, as if he were sizing the older man up. “And what about you?” he asked, not really intending for it to come out as a challenge, but simply a testing of the waters. “How are you holding up?”

“Me? Oh, I’m fine,” he said, laughing softly to himself. When he looked back at William, he saw that it had earned him a smile, and considered it a small victory. He sighed, his face growing more serious, wanting his next words to sink in. “Scully told me what you did, agreeing to help me. You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know,” William replied, quickly darting his eyes away. He shrugged it off like it was nothing, and drummed his fingers against his leg. “I just thought, if I could help somebody, contribute to society or whatever, I’d be making my parents proud. Or, well...you know,” he said, feeling his cheeks flush. He glanced back at Mulder, gesturing between them as he asked a question he wasn’t sure how else to voice. “This isn’t weird for you?”

“No,” Mulder said, eager to make him welcome, but frowning at the way William visibly flinched. “What’s wrong?” he asked, alarmed. He pushed the blankets back, readying to call out for help. “Let me get someone. You need--”

“No, no, it’s okay. I’m good. Really,” William interrupted. “But you don’t have to lie to try and protect me.”

Mulder laughed, shaking his head. “Okay, so maybe it is a little strange, waking up and finding you here. I’m not sure how much Scully told you regarding our history together, but circumstances after your were born were a bit...complicated. I had to go away to keep you both safe, and in the end, she thought it best to give you up. That by sending you away, she’d be protecting you. In the interest of honesty, I have to say that yes, it is a bit strange. But not bad, William. You have to know that,” he said, gripping the mattress firmly, desperately wanting the younger man to believe him. For years, he’d dreamt of having conversations with his son, about school or sports or as he got older maybe even girls, but never about what it felt like to see him again. He needed him to know that yes, while it felt off kilter, it was also incredible and made him happier than he’d been in a long time. The fact that William had picked up on his thoughts piqued his curiosity however, so he decided to press a bit further. “What gave me away?”

Immediately, William shook his head, tucking his chin close to his chest, as if he were folding in on himself. “You’re gonna think it’s crazy. Just forget about it.”

“William, I can assure you I’ve seen and heard a lot of crazy things,” Mulder replied, darting his tongue out to moisten chapped lips. He flexed his hand a few times, fingers eager to reach out and touch his son. Again, he thought of the tiny baby he’d held in his arms so long ago. “Nothing you could say would sound crazy to me.”

William weighed his options for a few moments, pulling at his bottom lip. “I don’t know what it is exactly, or why, but ever since I was little, I’d always get these...feelings. I can’t read minds or anything like that, but I can always tell when someone’s telling the truth. Or when they’re sad, or happy. When someone lies, it gets...cold. For a second, anyway. And when someone is honest, it’s more warm. Just for a second, sort of like a blip. I just know. I’m never wrong,” he said, finally risking a glance in Mulder’s direction. “It’s crazy, right? I told you.”

Mulder recalled a conversation with Scully, late at night in one of the countless motels they’d stayed at while on the run. They were in Nevada maybe, or northern California, but she’d been drunk on something by the time he’d returned from a jog. She’d pulled out a few baby pictures, and started telling him everything, including the way William had moved a mobile above his bed. There had been no wind, and it wasn’t battery operated, she’d said. He’d simply glanced up at it, and it moved. There had been several times over the years that he’d heard reports of people moving things with their minds, and once he’d ran off to a trailer park in Kansas, where a boy had been video taped pushing a chair across the front lawn just by pointing at it. It hadn’t been William of course, and he’d come home to see Scully worried out of her mind, but it never stopped him from wondering where their son was or what he was capable of. “It’s not crazy,” Mulder replied, hoping to reassure him. “Scully told you we’re in the FBI? We’re investigators, and part of that means we’re good at reading people.”

“So I got it from you?” William asked, childlike excitement laced through his voice.

“Along with a few other things, yeah,” Mulder replied, pointing at his nose. “Sorry about the schnoz, by the way.”

William smiled, enjoying the lighter tone the conversation had taken. “Thanks, I guess? I don’t know.”

There were questions Mulder wanted to ask; what subjects he liked in school, what sports (if any) he played, what movies he enjoyed watching. A thousand questions ran through his mind, and he hoped that in time he could ask them. He opened his mouth, preparing to suggest they find something worth watching that wasn’t news coverage on the television, when he caught sight of Scully coming through the door.

“How are you feel--” Scully paused, frozen in the doorway as she noted both Mulder and William were awake. She looked at Mulder, swallowing deeply before quickly going to William’s side. She pressed a palm to his forehead, checking his temperature, and pressing her fingers to his wrist to check his pulse. “When did you wake up? Are you feeling okay?”

“A little sore, but yeah. I’m just glad to see he seems to be out of the woods,” William replied, tilting his head in Mulder’s direction.

The fact it was the first time in years the three of them were in the same room, alert at the same time, did not go unnoticed. Mulder cleared his throat, noting the nervous way Scully flitted around their son, hovering around him but not quite crowding his space. “He hasn’t been up long. I was thinking of having you paged. But you’re back. And you’ve rested, yeah?”

“My rest isn’t important at the moment, Mulder,” Scully replied, knowing her answer wasn’t good enough, but hoping it reassured him just the same. “But yes. Now, I’m going to get the doctor in here to assess you,” she said, directing her focus back to William. “Is that alright?”

William looked to Mulder, then back to her. He knew better than trying to push the issue with either of them. He hadn’t known them in any large capacity for long, but as he nodded in the affirmative, he felt the slightest glimmer of hope that that might soon change. “Sure,” he said. “That would be fine.”

* * *

“Do you have anything else?” Scully asked, tucking one last pair of socks into the overnight bag resting at the foot of Mulder’s hospital bed. “I want to get going as soon as the nurse gets back with William.”

Mulder sat on the side of the bed, his feet just barely resting on the floor, as he leaned over and nudged her shoulder with his. “I don’t have much. Unless you feel like snagging a few of those mini bottles of shampoo from the bathroom, but I’d think we’d have enough of those stashed away from our trips over the years,” he said, waggling his eyebrows, but stopping the jokes when he realized how concerned she looked. “Hey, look at me,” he said, brushing a thumb across her cheek. “We’re okay. It’ll be--”

“Don’t let the next word out of your mouth be fine, Mulder. You don’t know that,” Scully replied, stepping out of his embrace to grab what toiletries remained in the bathroom before placing them in the bag and zipping it. She remained focused on the bag, rubbing the threaded handles as she spoke. “He’s back, against all odds and explanations, but it doesn’t make me any less scared. I feel relieved, yes, and happy even. But you’ve seen footage of the virus, of the damage it caused. It killed his parents. He says he’s fine, and maybe he is, but what if there’s a part of him that’s not?”

“Then he’d be just like his mother, staying strong in the face of trouble,” Mulder replied, wiping away a tear that escaped from her eye with the pad of his thumb. “I’m scared, too. And I hate that I left you to face this virus alone, to try and solve it without my help. I thought,” Mulder replied, pausing as he tried collecting his thoughts. He’d spent a few days in the hospital after the procedure for observation, and to prevent any infection, so he’d had time to think. He remembered chasing the man who was supposed to be dead years before, and he remembered dodging her calls when she feared the worst. He’d made her a promise when she moved back home that he’d be more truthful, that the lines of communication would stay open, and he worried that by taking off like he had, he’d broken that promise. “I thought I was helping. I thought that by going, I could end this for good. And I know it sounds a bit out there to say I don’t regret everything, including almost dying from a virus that was designed to destroy mankind, but somehow it’s led to us getting William back. And I don’t regret that for a moment, Scully. I can’t.”

Scully nodded, tears still in her eyes as she looked back at him. “Neither can I.”

“Good,” he replied, clapping his hands together before staring at the clock. “They should be back soon, and we can get going. Maybe grab some lunch? That seems like something a normal family would do.”

Scully laughed, shaking her head as she crossed her arms and rocked back on her heels. “Mulder, when have we ever done anything the normal way?”

The door opened, William stepping through first before the nurse followed suit. “Doctor Scully, Mr. Mulder. It’s good to see the both of you, and I do have what I believe to be good news….”

Mulder listened as the older woman went on, describing the final testing they’d performed. While she’d made it clear one or both of them could tag along, William had asked if it was okay for him to go by himself. They’d initially resisted, but sensing their apprehension regarding the ordeal, he assured them everything would be fine. He didn’t know if William would ever truly understand the reasoning behind their fear, of just how easily someone you loved could slip out of your grasp when you weren’t looking. Like Scully standing beside him, he hoped they could do anything and everything possible to keep that from ever happening again.

The nurse bid them farewell and said someone would be in with release papers momentarily before heading out of the room, leaving the three of them to stand in companionable silence. “Do you have everything you need?” Scully asked, breaking the lull by directing her question at William.

“Yeah, sure,” William replied. He stuffed a hand into the pocket of his jeans, shifting his weight from one foot to the other and bringing an arm up to wipe at his nose with his sleeve. “So, I know this might sound like a stupid question, but what happens now? Do I get shipped back on a plane to Wyoming or something?”

“No,” Scully said, unable to stop the alarm in her voice. “That is to say, there are some things we need to figure out. You’ve been through a great deal within the last few days, and I could never thank you enough for remaining so strong and brave through it all,” she said, wavering at the end. She looked to Mulder who simply nodded in encouragement, urging her to continue. “You don’t have to decide everything right now, but for the time being, we thought you could come home with us.”

“Home?” William asked, his eyes widening in surprise. He’d begun to feel a pull, a subtle clicking into place he couldn’t quite name, he hadn’t considered they might have felt the same tug he did.

Mulder rested a hand on his hip, watching as William processed the request. He and Scully hadn’t talked about it much, but to him (and to her, of that he was certain), there really was no other choice. But in light of the circumstances, they were leaving a portion of the decision up to him. “How would you feel about that?”

“Good, I guess,” William said, mulling it over for a second. “Listen though, if I’m gonna stay with you guys, can I ask you something?”

“What do you want to ask?” Mulder asked, fear racing through him unbidden. He cast a glance at Scully who appeared similarly concerned, knowing she hoped he didn’t hit them with any hardball questions until they’d had a chance to properly discuss how they’d answer him.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to worry you,” William replied, knowing he’d perhaps have been better off cutting straight to the chase. “It’s just, could you call me Will? I know you guys named me William, and that’s cool. So you don’t have to do that all the time. But maybe save the whole name only for serious situations or when I’m in trouble?”

The fact he even asked made Mulder wonder if their son had been thinking of his stay with them as long term, just as they had. The specifics weren’t entirely figured out, but the intention, at least on their part, remained the same. “Sounds good to me.”

Scully agreed, stepping across the room to pick up his bag. “Come on then, Will,” she said, placing her free arm around his shoulders as Mulder opened the door for them. “Let’s see about getting your discharge paperwork, and then we can head home.”


	4. Chapter 4

Scully wrapped her jacket tighter as they approached the two story house, watching as William fiddled under a house plant to find the spare key. They’d traveled to Wyoming for his parent’s funeral, because burying the people who’d raised their son seemed like the right thing to do, even if it meant testing bonds that were just beginning to form.

“You think they’d have found a better place to put--” Mulder leaned into her side, whispering so their son couldn’t hear, stopping only when she politely shoved him away.

She shook her head, remaining on the cobblestone walk, watching William fiddle with the doorknob. The wind kicked up, blowing her hair into her face and causing a chill to run through her. She reached out for Mulder’s arm to keep her balance and glanced about, noting the lawns growing into disrepair right next to the ones that were obviously still cared for. While the area had been hit by the virus, she watched a car slowly pass by and thought that, for the most part, it had thankfully been saved. A squeaking noise alerted her to the fact William got the door open, and she quickly focused on him, feeling a pang of guilt mixed with the relief she felt, recalling their reason for being there all too quickly. Mulder started to head up the steps, but she tightened her grip on his arm. “Do you want us to wait out here?”

William glanced inside the house, considering it for a second, before shaking his head. “No, you can come in. It’s freezing out here.”

Scully relinquished her grip on Mulder’s arm and followed William inside. There was a coat rack just inside the door, coupled with an umbrella stand, and just past that a doorway to a living room that clearly looked lived in. Two arm chairs sat opposite a sofa, separated by a coffee table, but none of the furniture matched. An end table sat next to the couch with a ball of yarn and a crochet project that would never be finished, the thought of which made Scully’s head spin. People had lived here and died here, and as she watched William move from room to room, easily knowing where to find the things he wanted, it was hard pretending he hadn’t been one of them. From her stance in the hall, she could see a calendar on the kitchen wall and could just make out dates and important events scrawled down; doctor’s visits that would never be attended, and birthdays that wouldn’t be celebrated. “Will?” she called, hoping her voice didn’t betray the nervous energy she felt bubbling up inside. “Is there a bathroom around here somewhere?”

William glanced up from his spot on the living room floor, where he shoved a few games and a console into an overnight bag. “Yeah,” he said. If he noticed her mood, he knew well enough already to not point it out. “Head up the stairs, and it’ll be the second door on your left.”

Scully nodded, quickly making her way upstairs. She knew heading back to the house after the burial to collect what things he wanted that were left behind would be a risk, but she also wanted more than anything to make him comfortable, and having things from home would hopefully do exactly that. Former home, she reminded herself, turning on the faucet to splash her face with water. She took a sip from the tap, relishing in the cold liquid seeping through her. The mirror was flecked with toothpaste and the cup next to the sink held three toothbrushes, all bone dry. She took another sip of the water and dug into her pocket, pulling a hair tie free and fastening her hair back into a ponytail, shutting the water off and giving her reflection a glance before leaving the room.

Just as she was about to head back down the stairs, the sight of an open drawer with clothes strewn about caught her eye through a door that stood partially ajar. She pressed the door open, stepping carefully inside and surveying her surroundings, and she knew without having to ask whose room it had been.

Several trophies sat on a shelf near the door, and a lamp shaped like a geode stood next to the bed, its bulb still burning bright. She clicked the lamp off, slowly running her hand across the dark blue comforter, and knew she probably needed to turn back around, but curiosity got the best of her. A desk near the window housed several books, and she smiled at seeing one about ghost sightings sitting right next to one about world history, as if the two things belonged together. She looked up at a cork board on the wall, noting a school schedule attached, but finding herself more drawn to the pictures held to the board by thumbtacks. One couldn’t have been more than a few months old, of William turning back to the camera, baseball bat in hand and ready to swing. Another was perhaps a bit older, showing him and another boy posing in colorful wigs and oversized clothes at what she guessed was a halloween party. She smiled at that, but fixed her eyes in a look of concern at another where the same boy from the other picture sat with a few other children, surrounding William, whose arm was in a sling.

“I was thirteen,” William said, coughing as he walked up behind her. “I started riding my bike too fast, and skipped a stop sign. I swerved to miss a car, but hopped over a sidewalk. I sprained my arm, but nothing broke.”

Scully turned to face him, blushing a little as she did so. “How did you know which picture I was looking at?”

William shrugged, pointing at the pictures on the wall. “You were worried, and you looked kind of sad. Lucky guess?”

While she knew it was more than that, she was also glad he’d trusted her with the story. “I didn’t mean to snoop around. The door was open, so I was curious. But thank you, Will. It means a lot.”

He nodded his head, looking up as she called his attention back to the desk.

“Did you draw this?” Scully asked, holding up a sheet of notebook paper. On it was a drawing in pencil depicting a dragon, complete with intricate scales and claws, and with smoke billowing from its mouth. An image of another, more real monster, complete with smoke despite the obvious health issues it had given to him crossed her mind, and Scully prayed William would never be given the opportunity to see his face.

“I draw sometimes, things I see in movies, or things I dream about,” William replied. He drifted his gaze across the pictures behind her, and again cleared his throat, pulling at the zipper tab on his jacket as he asked a question he needed the answer to, hoping her answer was yes. “Do you have baby pictures? I mean, of me. I wanted to ask, before, but I didn’t want to make you sad. Or upset. Or--”

“I do,” Scully replied, fighting the lump she felt rapidly growing in her throat. There were days when said baby pictures were the only thing keeping her going, either in hopes of one day seeing him again, or in hopes of making the world a safer place for him, even if she wasn’t in it. There were also days when she’d catch Mulder staring at one of the pictures, his shoulders hunched over in his rickety office chair, sinking further into himself, but there was no reason William needed to know either of those things.

William shrugged, taking the drawing from Scully as she offered it and carefully folding it in half. “They adopted me when I was still so young, but the agency didn’t have any photographs. Not that it matters really, but I just always wondered.”

If he could’ve heard her thoughts rather than simply picking up on the general mood of the room, he’d have known she’d always wondered too, albeit what he looked like when he grew older versus as an infant.

“The agency, they didn’t have a lot at all, actually. Or at least that’s what they said. They called it a closed adoption, which meant we weren’t supposed to know. Like it was, I don’t know, some kind of secret,” William said, shaking his head as he again fumbled with the zipper, sitting on the edge of the bed. “My father said it was because whoever gave birth to me was probably some young girl who’d realized too late she couldn’t handle it, or that she was in some kind of trouble. But if that was the case, why was everything a secret?”

Scully looked toward the hallway, hoping in part to see Mulder’s shadow cross the doorframe, but also knowing parts of the story were hers alone to tell. It was she who’d ultimately made the decision to give William up, so it made sense that she’d be the one to explain why. “He wasn’t too far off about the trouble part, but I doubt it was the kind of trouble he had in mind,” she said, shuffling several steps closer to him. “There were some men who were after us, men who wanted to hurt you because they feared you were different. Because of lot of reasons actually, but that’s something Mulder should be here for. What’s important is, you needed to be kept safe. Even if I wanted that to be at home with me, for a time it wasn’t.”

“Okay, but these guys,” William replied, trying to wrap his head around it. “Are they dead? What’s to stop them from coming to get me now?”

“Most of them are, yes. The select few who haven’t either been killed or, against all odds, been reacclimated into civilian life, are being monitored by some of the strongest and most talented agents in the world. I wouldn’t have risked coming to you if I’d have suspected doing so would jeopardize your safety.”

“What about yours? I don’t want you to get hurt just because of me,” William replied. He pulled the sleeves of his jacket further down his arms, pushing a thumb through a hole in one of the cuffs. “You talk about safety and protecting me, and I get that, but what about you?”

“Oh, Will,” Scully replied, reaching to brush his hair away from his forehead before she could stop herself. “I appreciate the thought, and I’m glad to see you thinking of other people. That’s very grown up of you. But you don’t have to worry about me.”

“Why do I get the feeling that if I said the same thing to you, you’d still worry anyway?” William asked, intending for it to be a joke, but catching the sadness in her eyes despite her urge to mask it.

She didn’t know if the time would come when she’d ever stop worrying about William. There were times when her mother would call, worried after she and Mulder had returned from some case out of state. Or when they’d meet for breakfast, and Maggie would fret over a scrape on her cheek. There were things Scully had kept from her mother, things no one else needed to know, but Maggie had told her on more than one occasion that no matter how much Scully insisted she didn’t have to, she’d always worry about and pray for her. It was part of being a mother, Maggie had said, and standing in the bedroom William had spent most of his life in, Scully knew it was true. “Why don’t you take a look around, see if there’s anything else you need? I’ll be waiting downstairs with Mulder whenever you’re ready.”

“Why do you guys do that?” William asked. She spun back to face him, and something about the way she tilted her head, readying herself for whatever came next, felt so completely familiar to him. He’d read in school about biology, and how family members shared similar traits down to behaviors and mannerisms, but he didn’t know how that was possible given how much of their lives they’d spent apart. “Why do you call each other by your last names, even though you’re married?”

Scully laughed, shaking her head as she replied. “It’s just what we’ve always called each other. From the day we met at the FBI, as partners, it just fit,” she said. She heard the muffled chimes coming from the grandfather clock downstairs, signaling the end of one hour and the beginning of another. “I’ll be downstairs, Will. Take all the time you need.”

* * *

“Why did you order an extra plate of fries?” William asked as he took a sip of his soda. He swirled the straw around the cup and watched as Scully reached across the table to pluck a fry from Mulder’s plate.

Mulder dabbed at his mouth with a napkin and pointed across the table at her. “That’s why.”

Scully stabbed at her salad, feigning an air of innocence. “I want to eat healthy, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy a few fries. I just don’t want them enough to get a whole order of them.”

William nodded, taking a large bite of his burger before replying. “Solid logic.”

“Unbelievable. You two are just gonna gang up on me now, is that it?” Mulder asked, catching Scully’s attention and bumping her leg under the table. He nodded and pushed the plate of fries closer to her side. “I know when to concede.”

“Thank you,” Scully replied, shrugging as she dipped one into the ketchup on his plate. She turned her head, watching as a group of teenage boys entered the restaurant, walking up to the counter and placing an order. An elderly couple sat a few booths over eating quietly, and a family with daughter insisting she didn’t need a booster seat sat across the restaurant, but aside from that it was pretty quiet. Still, she thought as she took another bite, local businesses appeared to be returning to normal, and for that she was grateful. It had been her idea to stop and grab something to eat before flying back to D.C., and William had insisted they stop at the diner. She’d agreed, wanting him to feel comfortable as much as possible. Sensing his eyes on her, she glanced up and pointed at his plate. “How’s the burger?”

“Good. They have this other burger here called the Swamp Burger, which is basically just a regular burger, but they smother it in gravy and then they--” William paused, turning in his seat at the sound of his name being called.

“Will, man, I knew that was you! Dylan, I told you it was Van De Kamp. You’re okay? Man, I’m so glad you’re okay. Everything’s been crazy, right?”

Scully squared her shoulders, watching as a tall, black haired boy approached their table. William stood up, pushing his chair back to give the boy a handshake, involving intricate moves and ending with them patting each other on the back.

“It has been, yeah,” William replied. He pointed to the two other boys standing by the counter, one of which was rifling through his jean pockets to find exact change for their food. “You guys turned out okay?”

“Yeah. My dad’s still in the hospital and Dylan’s aunt was just cleared this morning, but so far so good,” the boy said, nodding his head a few times. He lowered his voice, stepping closer to William before continuing. “Hey, man. I heard about your folks. I’m real sorry about that.”

“Me too,” William said. He gripped the back of his seat and sighed. “They were pretty bad there at the end, but it’s okay. They’re not hurting anymore. I guess that’s what’s important, right?”

“Right, yeah. Listen, I gotta head back. There’s still curfews going on around here and things like that. Everyone’s getting better, but parents still worry. You know how that is. So, uh...enjoy your food?” he said, looking over at Mulder and Scully who had been sitting, quietly eating their food as the boys spoke. He narrowed his eyes, opening his mouth to say something, only to have one of the other boys approach, waggling the paper sack of burgers and fries in his face and gesturing for the door.

Scully waited until the boys left the diner, scurrying to a nearby bench in the parking lot to divide their food to speak. “Are those boys friends of yours?”

William shrugged. “Kids from school, yeah. Dylan and I played baseball, and Kyle used to live across the street from the house before his parents split up. Listen, uh,” he said, bringing his arm up to his mouth to cough into his sleeve. “How long until we have to be at the airport?”

Scully glanced at her watch and took a sip of her water, pointing out the window at the boys unwrapping their sandwiches and walking towards the street. “If by that you’re actually asking if you can go speak with them for a few minutes, then the answer is yes. You have time.”

A few moments passed, and while Mulder was content finishing his meal, he knew without looking that Scully would be pretending to not look out the window. She hadn’t said a word since William had left the diner, choosing instead to pick at her salad, moving bits of lettuce around in an attempt to make it look as if she’d eaten. “Hey,” he said, causing her to jump a little. He reached across the table, covering her hand with his and giving it a squeeze. “What’s going on in there?”

“I know it sounds crazy, and I know he’s only going out there to say goodbye, so it’s okay,” Scully replied, pulling her hand back just enough to link their fingers together. While in days and years gone by she might have turned away at such simple displays of affection, now she welcomed them. She blinked back unshed tears, quickly glancing out into the parking lot where William was talking with the boys, before turning back to Mulder. “Seeing the house, the pictures...meeting, albeit briefly, kids he went to school with...he had a life here, Mulder. He experienced so many things, and--”

“I know, Scully. Believe me. Every day I was away before, I wondered, you know? I went into town once, and huddled in the back of a library reading childhood development books, trying to figure out what stage he might be at. I wondered if he’d be smiling yet, or lifting his head. I dreamt once about him sitting up for the first time, only we were both there to see it,” he said, catching sight of William shaking one of the boy’s hands, and he knew they didn’t have much time before he’d be back inside. “I know that we weren’t always there for him before, that we didn’t get to go through all of those things. But because of you, because of him, we’ve all been given another chance to witness even more things now.”

The bell over the door chimed, and Scully pulled her hand away, quickly grabbing a napkin from the dispenser and pretending to blow her nose. “You’re right,” she replied.

“Did everything go okay outside?” Mulder asked, signaling the waitress for the check.

William folded a straw wrapper on the table, curling it around his finger and then letting it unfurl in tiny curls into his open palm. “It’s good. They’re not looking forward to school going back into session, but I wouldn’t mind. Aside from the idea of dissecting the frog we were supposed to work on this week, I was kind of looking forward to it.”

Mulder pointed across the table, unable to stop the smile that spread as he adjusted his coat. “Scully could tell you a thing about dissections now. You think frogs are gross? What about--”

“Those are stories for another time, Mulder,” Scully said, pausing to adjust his collar before heading to the door. “We need to get to the airport.”

“Do you have any gum?” William asked. “Take off was a little rough last time.”

Scully laughed, relieved the somewhat somber mood of moments before had gone away. She found it strange, this reality where they could smile and joke despite the reason for the trip. They’d come to Wyoming so William could say goodbye one last time to the parents who’d raised him, but as they walked in unison to the rental car, joking about gum and different techniques to keep your ears from popping due to air pressure, she knew it wasn’t all bad. Things were getting better, and for that she was glad.

* * *

“What are you two doing out here?” Scully asked, stepping out onto the back porch. She watched as Mulder wound a piece of wire around a wooden post he’d dug into the ground. “Are you building a fence around the garden?”

“And he’s been telling me stories,” William replied, pressing the post further into the dirt. He pushed back the hair from his face, leaving a trail of dirt on his cheek. “You guys really got cocooned together?”

Scully frowned, taking a minute to recall the case he was referring to. “That was ages ago, but yes. You couldn’t have picked something more recent?”

Since returning from Wyoming, they’d settled into a rhythm of sorts. Mulder had taken to tidying things up around the house, and when William had offered to help, he was not about to turn down the offer. “Like what?” he asked, wondering what could be going through her mind. There were cases they both knew they were probably better off not telling him about, but it didn’t stop him from planning to polish up whatever stories came to mind. He found himself wanting to tell him things, to fill in the gaps of silence, and sometimes it didn’t even matter what was said. At that moment, Dagoo came running down the porch steps, having nosed the screen door open, and at the sight of him running near, Mulder took a step back. “Oh, no you don’t. He’s the reason I’m building this fence. Nosing around, trying to eat what’s growing.”

Scully knelt down, pulling Dagoo into her lap and scratching him behind the ears. “It’s still cold out, Mulder. All you have growing in there right now is herbs, and maybe a few carrots. And I was thinking of something more lighthearted. Maybe about the time I rescued this guy,” she said, turning her focus back to the dog in her lap, who was greedily enjoying the attention.

Mulder leaned against shovel and shook his head. “You mean stole him, but sure. That one’s good, too.”

“Wait,” William said, crouching down next to Scully, only to have Dagoo run to him, nearly toppling him over. “You stole him?”

Scully glanced at Mulder and then back at William, shrugging her shoulders. “I prefer the term rescue, because I did save him from a bad situation, but yes. That might, regretfully, be accurate.”

William ruffled Dagoo’s fur and grinned, clearly amused by the situation. “How do you just steal a dog?”

“Well, it’s like I said. I rescued him,” Scully replied, straightening her posture and preparing to tell her side of the story. It was strange, she thought, because while the case in question happened mere weeks before, she couldn’t have possibly guessed how dramatically things would change. She’d lost her mother, made the decision to move back home once and for all, and now sat outside between the man she’d loved half her life and the son they’d lost so much time with. While there were things in the past few weeks she’d obviously have liked to be different, she couldn’t change anything. She glanced at Mulder, who was grinning while looking in William’s direction, and knew it wasn’t likely that he’d want to change anything either.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never intended to take this long of a break from this story, let alone from writing at all. It's been a few weeks, for personal reasons, but it feels so good to be back writing the characters I know and love so much. I have an epilogue in mind, but for now, this is the end. To those of you still interested in this story, I thank you. It's my hope that one day, things like this won't entirely be a dream. But for now, fanfic will have to do. Thanks for reading!

Scully swung the front door open with so much force it caused the mirror on the wall to shake. She slipped the hood of her raincoat off, causing droplets to fall to the floor as she placed it on the coat rack, and quickly walked through to the kitchen, narrowly missing Dagoo’s sleeping form in the walkway. She opened the screen door just as Mulder was hurrying up the back steps. Her heart rate quickened as she realized he was alone. “Nothing?”

Mulder shook his head, grabbing a nearby dishtowel to wipe the rain from his face. Outside, thunder rumbled in time to the indoor lights flickering. “I scanned the whole back end of the property, walked the fence line the whole way through, even checked a few of the surrounding properties and their barns just in case, but there’s no sign. You didn’t see anything?”

Scully gripped the back of the dining chair to keep her knees from buckling. The call they’d gotten from William’s school was perfectly ordinary, an automated message telling them he’d missed the last four classes of his day, which suggested that somewhere around lunch time, he’d left campus. “I went directly to the school, but the security system is getting upgraded, so they don’t have tapes. I traced the drive between here and the school and back at a snail’s pace, but there wasn’t a sign of him. Mulder, what if--”

“No, you can’t let yourself think like that,” Mulder said, reaching out to pull her to him at the first sign of her breaking composure. He knew the thoughts she currently entertained, as they were running through his head as well, but to allow them full reign meant they wouldn't have the composure or sense to investigate the possibilities. He closed his eyes, mentally conjuring the image of William sitting at the kitchen table, wearing a green t-shirt and jeans as he ate his corn flakes that morning. He was doing the puzzles on the back of the box, joking about how easy they were, and Mulder hoped he’d not have to share those details with anyone else. They’d find him, he knew, no matter what it took.

“I just don’t understand how it could’ve happened. We have agents making regular checks at the school, the school itself has it’s own security guards, how could this happen?” Scully muttered, burrowing herself further into his shoulder. She wrapped her arms tighter around his middle and opened her mouth to speak again before Dagoo abruptly sat up and barked, alerting them to someone else in the house. They broke apart, hurriedly walking into the living room, stopping to stare at the form standing in the doorway.

“I know they said it was going to rain, but I didn’t expect to get this soaked,” William said, water from his jeans seeping into the entryway rug. He quietly shut the door, adjusting the strap of his backpack before moving for the stairs, and if he had any indication of the inner turmoil they felt, he gave no outward sign of it. “I’m just gonna go upstairs and change.”

Scully looked to Mulder, who simply stared, surprised as she was to see their son returning home perfectly fine. She reached out, casually grabbing William’s arm before he could slip away. “Not before you tell us where you’ve been all day.”

William’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, clearly not anticipating the turn of events. “I went to school. I ended up walking home, hence my being completely soaked, which is why I’m gonna go and change.”

Scully sighed, weighing her options. In the months that William had been with them, they’d been hesitant to lay out any ground rules, wanting to first test the waters in their effort to make him comfortable. She’d reprimanded him a few times for language, and Mulder had gotten onto him a time or two for making a mess and not cleaning it up (like he had any right to judge), but they’d yet to lay the proverbial hammer down when it came to setting rules out for him. They’d tried to make life as comfortable and normal as possible, and hadn’t previously been given any reason to be strict at all.

“We know you weren’t at school all day, Will,” Mulder said, catching the way Scully subtly sighed in relief. They were both relatively new at the gig, so it made sense for them to share the pressure. “Where’d you go?”

William cast a glance at him before looking at Scully, and he sighed. “So I skipped a couple of easy classes, yeah. I didn’t think it would be a big deal. School’s almost over for the year anyway, I know I’ll pass.”

“Yes, you likely will, but that’s not the point. You can’t just take off in the middle of the day like that. You have to tell us where you’re going, because--”

“Oh. like neither of you ever skipped school before? My grades are better than everyone’s in class, and I just wanted a little bit of time alone. I didn’t think it was a big deal, okay?” William replied, shrugging his shoulders. He quietly edged backwards, his feet finding the stairs as he walked. “Can I just go now? I can be grounded, or you know, whatever parents here do, but--”

“It is a big deal, Will,” Scully said, cutting him off. She took a few quiet steps closer to the stairs, hating that him standing a few steps up made him even taller than he usually would be. “You have to understand what it was like for us to receive that call. We had no idea where you were, or what happened. We didn’t know if you’d left willingly, or if someone had taken you. We didn’t know if we’d see you again, William. I need for you to just tell us when these things happen, okay?”

William sighed, shaking his head and closing his eyes in frustration. “It’s been, what, a little over two months since I got here? Don’t you think if some bad guys in suits really wanted me, they’d have shown up by now?”

“It’s not that simple with them, and you need to trust us on that,” Mulder replied. Truthfully, as the days went by, and there were no signs of the man who just wouldn’t die let alone any of his cohorts, he’d gotten more and more comfortable. He’d let himself begin to believe that maybe they truly were safe for now, but in his mind the fear had still been there, and it roared to the surface upon hearing that William had gone missing.

“You guys keep saying that! You keep saying I need to trust you, you keep saying how there were some guys after me, after you, but then act like I should just live in some box. You tell me you want me to be comfortable here, that this is my home, but then get upset when I do something perfectly normal like skip school because I got bored. If you’re still so afraid for my safety, then why’d you even bring me here, when you could’ve just left me in Wyoming?” William exclaimed, breathing heavily by the end of his speech. He nearly jumped back at the fear and worry he felt emanating from them, and he took a few more steps up the stairs. He watched as Scully reached for the cross she wore around her neck, rubbing it like a talisman, and he knew he’d made a mistake. “I need to go change,” he said, waving a hand in their general direction as he turned his back and marched up the stairs.

‘William, wait--” Scully said, planting her foot on the first step, only to feel Mulder’s hand gripping her shoulder.

“Let him go, Scully. He needs some time,” he said, although as he heard the sound of a door loudly closing upstairs, he wondered if that was the best option.

Scully opened her mouth to argue before quickly closing it again. They stood in silence a few moments, listening to rain beating hard against the windows. The dim living room was briefly illuminated by lightning, and she closed her eyes, sighing as her buried her face in her hands. “We have to tell him.”

Mulder remained quiet for a few seconds, knowing what she meant, but weighing their options. “We’ve already told him what he needs to know, Scully. You said it yourself, there are things he can’t know, things he doesn’t need to bear the weight of. It’s one thing to tell him stories of men lurking in shadows, and strange people crowding outside the place he was born. It’s another thing entirely to actually explain it all to him.”

She crossed her arms, shifting her feet before turning and sitting on the step, signaling for him to follow suit. “I’ve found myself in his position before, you know. Being aware of what lurked in the darkness, but not knowing fully what the monsters were capable of. We both have,” she said, nudging his knee with hers. She reached for his hand, grateful for the warmth that leached from his palm. “I’m thinking he got his thirst from the truth from you, you know. I just think that maybe, if he understands what’s out there, he’ll comprehend a little more about why we react to things the way we do,” she said, pausing to see how he’d react. “Do you think that’s a bad idea?”

“No,” he muttered quietly, before standing up and pulling her up alongside him. “No, I don’t.”

Scully swung their arms back and forth as she shrugged. “So what do we do?”

Mulder nodded, rolling the idea around in his mind for a few seconds before voicing it out loud. “Why don’t you go get comfortable on the couch? I’ll go make some tea.”

“And then what? All of our problems magically get solved over a mug of chamomile?” Scully asked with a laugh.

“I was thinking chai, actually, but no,” Mulder said, watching the upstairs hallway for any signs of movement. “I was thinking after I’d made the tea, I’d go upstairs and let him know he needs to come down. It’s time we had a family chat.”

It wasn’t long before they all settled in the living room, Dagoo included, as the story started to unfold. It wasn’t easy, sharing things with him that were perhaps better left in the dark, and he interrupted a few times with questions. In the end however, William seemed to understand a little bit more regarding why they’d reacted the way they had.

“I’m just curious though,” Scully began, tucking her legs under her on the couch. “Why did you leave school today? Where did you go?”

William plucked at a loose string on the blanket he’d pulled from the back of the chair and sighed. “I know it sounds really stupid and probably mean, but I’m smarter than all of those kids in class. I mean, maybe that’s a bad way to put it. Just...I understand all of the stuff the teachers talk about before they even begin explaining it. I got in trouble in class yesterday for reading instead of doing an assignment, when really I finished before everyone else. I figured if that was the case, maybe I shouldn’t bother with those classes today. I don’t know,” he replied, kicking a leg and letting it dangle over the arm of the chair. He stifled a yawn as he settled further into the cushions. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Mulder glanced in Scully’s direction, but her eyes never wavered from their son. “That doesn’t answer her second question though,” he said, cocking his head in her direction. “Where’d you go?”

“I just walked at first. I do it sometimes, just to clear my head. I found a park where I read. I even sketched some of the trees, and I can go get you the pictures if you don’t believe me,” William replied, swinging his legs down to the floor, readying himself to stand until Mulder reached out and stilled his movement.

“It’s okay, I believe you,” he said, shaking his head. He’d hardly be one to judge his son for getting disinterested in subject matter that he felt was too easy. The fact that he was naturally curious and eager to learn was something he felt a little pride in, and it was something he thought they had in common. “Still,” he said, shifting to sit up straight on his end of the couch. “Maybe don’t skip school tomorrow?”

“We can talk however about having you tested and perhaps being placed in advanced classes next year though,” Scully said. The idea of planning for something so completely normal as helping him decide which classes to take nearly made her head spin, but she was also adjusting to the fact it was something real that she could actually do. For so long, imagining what levels William might be reading at or what scores he might get on math tests was something she’d think about briefly in passing before tucking them away with other thoughts of him. The reality of her son, living and breathing and, as she looked across the living room, even smiling a little bit, was something she didn’t want to ever live without again. “Is that something you’d be interested in?”

William nodded, looking back at her, and he knew without asking that it made her happy. That he could cause her to feel happy despite the previous somber and serious tone the room had taken on made him feel content, especially in light of the conversation they’d been having moments before. “Yeah. I guess so,” he said, thinking it a little strange to be making plans for a future that still seemed so far away, but feeling almost thrilled at the idea. He’d already began thinking of the house as home, and so it made sense. His thoughts were interrupted by a grumbling sound close by.

“And that’s my cue to exit,” Mulder said, patting his middle before standing up and pointing towards the kitchen. “I’m going to see what I can scare us up for dinner.”

Scully nodded, her focus still on William, and waited until Mulder was out of the room to speak. “Are you okay?”

William tucked his knees under his chin, letting the blanket fall onto the floor. “Yeah, I’m good. I know I scared you guys today, I guess I just wasn’t thinking.”

“It’s okay, really. I know we threw a lot of information your way tonight, so maybe you understand a bit more about why we were so worried,” Scully replied. They’d told him as much as they could, piping up when the other couldn’t, but carefully brushed over things like Mulder’s death and resurrection among other things that were better left unexplained. They were painful bruises better left untouched. She noticed William had grown quiet, staring at the flame of a candle she’d left flickering on the coffee table. She scooted closer to the end of the sofa and nudged the arm of his chair, afraid of asking the question but needing to know the answer. “William, you said something earlier. It wasn’t so much a question, at least I don’t know if you mean it as one...do you like it here?”

“Yeah, I do,” William replied. “Is this about what I said? About leaving me in Wyoming? I don’t know if you’re aware of adoption statistics, but--”

“I am,” Scully replied, briefly closing her eyes to try and block the memories. She’d been informed that he’d been placed in a good home as a baby, but she’d read enough in online articles and in research journals at the time to know that statistically, most children caught up within the system were not as fortunate. “My data might not be as up to date, but yes. I’m aware.”

William winced, realized he’d perhaps hit a nerve. “Right,” he said, lowering his gaze as he felt his cheeks blush. He understood now a little bit more about why she and Mulder were so cautious where he was concerned, but there were moments when such thoughts escaped him. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay, Will. Like we’ve told you before, we want you to feel at home here. We all make mistakes sometimes, and that’s fine. But promise me something?” she asked, waiting for him to look back at her before continuing. “Never scare us like that again.”

Parents would always be scared for their kids, whether it was something as mundane as an accident or as complicated as getting abducted by men bent on controlling the world and the agents who could stop them, but he knew that wasn’t what she wanted to hear. “I’ll do my best.”

Scully smiled and, craning her neck towards the kitchen, could smell the hint of something frying on the stove. “Come on then,” she said. “Let’s go see what he’s scared up for dinner.” 

* * *

 

William shifted his chair closer to the table and drummed his fingers against the wooden surface. He poked at a few salt crystals that had come loose from the shaker and sighed, staring across the table at Scully, who pushed her glasses up and flipped to the next page of the paper she was reading. “If you hate it, just tell me.”

Scully shook her head, glancing up at him over the paper. “I don’t hate it.”

He reached out for a napkin sitting nearby and began tearing at the edges, choosing to focus on the water droplets falling from the kitchen faucet rather than her. “I had to rewrite my conclusion, but it still seems kind of weird. I’m still glad to be writing a paper as a final rather than taking some test though. I hate tests.”

In the time William had been with them, Scully reveled in the tidbits of information he’d at times unknowingly provide. Something as simple as his favorite pizza toppings, or sports teams, or something like the fact he preferred to write over taking a test were things a mother should know about her child, and she drank them up each chance she got. It hadn’t always been easy, and she knew there was still a lot to learn about each other, but she looked forward to it. She could feel his gaze burning a hole through the paper and politely set it down, sliding it across the table before deciding to put him out of his misery. “I think it’s good. You might want to give it another read through for grammatical mistakes, but otherwise you were very thorough. You should be proud.”

William laughed, tucking his shoulders inward as he picked the paper up, slowly leafing through the pages. “You think so?”

Scully nodded, noting the shy way he was asking for approval. If that was something he needed to know he’d done well, she wasn’t about to hesitate in letting him know her opinion. “I think you did well. You cited your sources and proved you know the material. I’d say I don’t understand your teacher deciding it’s appropriate for high school students to read a book about a monster wreaking havoc, but considering some of the things we’ve told you…” Scully trailed off with a shrug. His hair had fallen into his eyes, and she flexed her fingers, prepared to brush it away until he did it himself. She made a mental note to suggest getting a haircut when the weekend came. She cleared her throat, deciding that perhaps sticking to other subjects for the time being was best. “At least Frankenstein’s monster was fictional,” she mused, although as the words left her mouth, distant memories of a case long before crossed her mind. It was definitely not the same thing, but she was certain if Mulder found out what book William had been reading, it would only be a matter of time before his memories of the case came out in conversation.

“Technically,” William said, shaking his head as he leaned into the table. “Frankenstein’s monster wasn’t the bad guy. It was Frankenstein himself that could be considered a monster.”

Scully smiled, amused that William was so pleased with himself. He’d had a lot of reasons to not feel so happy in recent months--they all had--but seeing the light and the happiness in him and knowing she was at least partially responsible filled her with pride. “Have I told you lately how smart you are?”

“You might have. But thanks I guess?” William replied before waving the paper in her direction. “And thanks for letting me know what you think.”

“Anytime,” Scully replied, fighting a yawn as she pushed her chair back and stood up, walking to his side of the table. “I’ve got to be at the hospital for a meeting in the morning though, so it’s off to bed for me. And for you, too.”

“I know,” William replied. “I just want to run through it one more time.”

“Don’t stay up too late though, okay?” Scully said, finally letting herself card a hand through his hair as she pressed a kiss to his head. “And shut off the lights before you come upstairs. Good night, kid.”

“Good night, mom,” William said, at first intending it in a teasing manner, but as the words left his mouth, he genuinely meant them. He rolled them around in his head for a few seconds as he felt her go still beside him. “I just...I wanted to know what it’d be like to say it outloud.”

“And how did it feel?” Scully asked, quietly suppressing any hopes of her own. She and Mulder had both agreed they’d let William grow accustomed to them at his own pace, whatever that might mean, and so she knew better than to make it a big deal. He’d said it before, sleepily and on a plane, but that was before they’d gotten the chance to know one another on a personal level, and she knew this was different.

William nodded, more to himself than for her benefit. “Good,” he said, hoping he sounded casual. “Is that okay?”

He had been told stories, had heard what things were like for them, and what circumstances led her to giving him up. They had a routine now, a life together, that was once nothing more than a dream. In the span of a few months, the axis of her world had shifted, but she wouldn’t trade it for anything, and she knew Mulder wouldn’t either. She glanced at the clock, noting how late it had gotten, and knew that with the morning, work and school and so many perfectly normal things would come, so she wanted to hold on to the moment for a few seconds longer. “Yes,” she said. “That’s fine.”


End file.
